REFERENCE NO. WX/1/56 GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form Name of Interviewer Eddie Nangle Date of Interview 20 Dec 2011 Location Interviewee’s home, near Ferns, Co. Wexford Name of Interviewee Joe Morris (Maiden name / Nickname) Biographical Summary of Interviewee Gender Male Born Year Born: 1957 Home County: Wexford Education Primary: St. Aidan’s N.S. Ferns, Co. Wexford Secondary: St. Mary’s CBS, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford Family Siblings: 4 brothers & 2 sisters Current Family if Different: 3 sons Club(s) Ferns St. Aidan’ s GAA [Wexford] Occupation Administrative Officer Parents’ Occupation Builder [Father]; Housewife [Mother] Religion N/A Political Affiliation / N/A Membership Other Club/Society N/A Membership(s) REFERENCE NO. WX/1/56 Date of Report 9th July 2012 Period Covered 1960 – 2011 Counties/Countries Wexford, Kilkenny, Offaly, Cork Covered Key Themes Travel, Supporting, Grounds, Facilities, Playing, Training, Covered Managing, Coaching, Fundraising, Sponsorship, Education, Religion, Emigration, Role of Clergy, Role of Women, Role of the Club in the Community, Volunteers, All-Ireland, Club History, County History, Earliest Memories, Family Involvement, Childhood, Impact on Life, Challenges, Sacrifices, Professionalism, Retirement, Purchase of Grounds, Relationships, Economy/ Economics Interview Summary Joe Morris, from Ferns in Co. Wexford, charts his involvement in the local GAA club, St. Aidan’s – as a player, administrator and a mentor of various underage and adult teams. Morris sheds light on the history of the St. Aidan’s club on and off the field, in particular the development of facilities and the role they play in the local community. Morris also opines on the growing imbalance between county and club schedules within the GAA and the proper treatment of children involved in underage teams. Finally, Morris recalls some of the highlights of his own personal involvement in the GAA and offers views of the greatest teams of all time. 00:00:06 Interviewee is introduced as a player and selector with Ferns, Co. Wexford. 00:00:30 Born in Ferns, 1957. 00:00:40 Information on parents geographic and occupational backgrounds. 00:01:03 Mentions that he is the youngest of seven children, with four brothers and two sisters. 00:01:15 Mentions that he has spent his entire life in Ferns. 00:01:34 Earliest memories – travelling to the local pitch, collecting balls during practice sessions. 00:02:20 Outlines his brothers’ involvement in the local GAA club, Ferns St. Aidan’s. 00:02:55 Discusses his father’s involvement with the GAA – originally as a player, selector and administrator with St. Fintan’s in south Wexford and subsequently as a coach with Ferns. Discusses also his grandparents association with the GAA, mostly as supporters. REFERENCE NO. WX/1/56 00:03:50 Gaelic games as part of the family routine growing up. 00:05:00 Brothers involvement at administrative level in club: Brendan served as chairman and Colm served as secretary and selector. 00:05:25 Role of school in the beginning of playing career. Mentions winning a Rackard league in football and a juvenile hurling championship. Says that underage teams would have been amalgamated and organised at district level. 00:06:55 Refers to matches organised between different parts of the town of Ferns. 00:07:25 Contrasts his underage GAA experience from what he sees in the present. 00:08:40 Discusses the involvement of his own children in the GAA – refers to one son who plays in Glasgow, another who has played on county underage teams and another who has no interest at all. 00:09:50 Discusses the history of Ferns St. Aidan’s and the various ‘splinter’ teams that have arisen. Mentions that parish of Ferns is only club in Wexford fielding two adult teams. Mentions a missed opportunity for amalgamation with Clonee in the late 1980s and the problems associated with the division of local effort. 00:12:44 Mentions that St. Aidan’s would be primarily focused on hurling but also fields an Intermediate football team and a camogie team. Discusses the importance of prioritisation. 00:15:14 Charts the progress of his own role within the club – as selector, coach and administrator. 00:16:45 Refers certain successes that were achieved by the club and talks of the additional enjoyment of being involved with his own children’s teams. 00:18:00 Discusses the difficulties of mentoring children’s teams. 00:19:58 Reflects on the difficulty with getting volunteers involved and alludes to the issues of child welfare and to the wider economic climate. REFERENCE NO. WX/1/56 00:22:40 Mentions the reluctance of settlers in new areas to become engage in sports clubs. 00:23:05 Funding a GAA club - refers to the annual costs of running teams and discusses the various fundraising initiatives the club was engaged with. 00:25:05 Refers to the playing facilities owned by club. 00:25:27 Mentions the sponsors for underage and adult teams. 00:26:00 Role of club in the community and the facilities it provides. 00:27:45 Discusses the influx of the people into locality and the efforts to assimilate them into club. Comments on the lack of community focus of many newcomers to area. 00:29:25 Discusses the impact of emigration on St. Aidan’s and other clubs – mentions that ‘only’ two or three had left. 00:30:10 Discusses the facilities owned and rented by the club, as well as plans to upgrade dressing-rooms. 00:31:00 Mentions the financial/debt problems of many clubs and the problems they have created for themselves. 00:32:10 Discusses the acquisition and development of grounds by St. Aidan’s. Refers also to a former field, owned by a local farmer, occupied by the club where many of the older members ‘learned the game’ and ‘if you weren’t awake you were dead’ [laughter] 00:34:13 Discusses the role of women within the club. Mentions the camogie club and the involvement of women in administration. Talks about the qualities that women bring to clubs and reflects on the nature of his own mother’s association with the GAA. 00:36:13 Comments on the absence of clerical involvement in the club. 00:38:05 Recalls attending 1968 All-Ireland hurling final, aged 11, and later, the 1976 and 1977 all-Ireland finals. 00:38:58 Admiration for Wexford hurler Tony Doran and his ability to catch a ball. REFERENCE NO. WX/1/56 00:40:14 Admiration for Martin Quigley as a sportsman. 00:41:30 Comments on improved levels of fitness in Gaelic games and changed lifestyles. 00:42:14 Reflects on ambition and ability as a player. 00:42:50 Discusses the difficulty that Ferns experienced when he was a player in holding senior and the consequent absence of strong rivalries. Recalls underage rivalries with neighbouring areas in District league. 00:44:10 Comments on club’s Under 21 finals c. 2006 and the hopes that underage talent will develop at senior level. 00:45:21 Discusses some of the players he played with: David Beirne, Tommy Hawkins and Andy Dwyer. 00:46:55 Discusses the other sports he played - soccer, squash, badminton – and how they were reconciled with his GAA commitments. 00:48:00 Balancing family and sport - refers to the ‘GAA widow’ and the problems for players in organising holidays arising from skewing of club fixtures to facilitate the inter- county scene. 00:49:40 Discusses the growing focus on county teams to the detriment of clubs. Criticises the ‘lip service’ paid to clubs. Describes the treatment of clubs as ‘the biggest problem facing the GAA.’ 00:51:25 Recalls some of the opponents he played against, including Tony Doran and George O’Connor. [laughter] 00:55:25 Reflects on the minor and under 21 teams he was involved with as a coach and the ‘camaraderie’ he still enjoys with the players. Mentions the importance of parents helping out with transport to games. 00:54:25 Talks about injury and retirement from playing, aged 31. 00:55:00 Mentions impressing upon young players the importance of their playing days. Refers also to the benefits of having inter-county players around a club. 00:56:40 Discusses the importance of coaches to maintaining the interest of children, treating children properly. REFERENCE NO. X/1/56 00:57:57 Comments on the difficulties in maintaining players as they move from underage to adult. Refers to lack of sufficient games for some players and an excess of games for others. 01:00:08 Refers to winning four Intermediate championships during his playing days and reflects on subsequent playing fortunes. 01:01:35 Tells a story of beating Rathnure in an Intermediate final when referee blew final whistle early. 01:02:10 Consider the enjoyment of travelling to play matches and seeing different styles of hurling. 01:02:36 Best and worst GAA memories, focussing on his involvement with underage club teams. Reflects on children’s attitudes to winning and losing. 01:04:55 Tells story of losing an under 12 final to Buffers Alley when parents lost control on line. 01:06:30 Discusses his admiration for past Buffers Alley hurlers and Rathnure. Refers also to Birr, Co. Offaly, as the best club hurling side and tells story of bringing his children to see their full collection of trophies. 01:08:40 Talks about the Kilkenny team of the 2000s as the ‘epitome of everything that’s good’. Discusses the qualities of the Kilkenny team and the scale of their achievement. 01:10:22 Discusses his GAA heroes inside and outside of the county.